Step 1: Finding your motivation

To who are you writing this biography?

If you have arrived here, you certainly have an interest in writing your own story. Congratulations on this initiative!

Identifying the reasons that push you to do so will allow you to establish a more directive approach according to the type of readers you are targeting.

First, the question! Who is this story for, and what should it contain?

For Yourself

Like a personal journal in which everything is allowed, you will mainly be the reader. You have the opportunity to express yourself without restraint and to express opinions on the facts that concern you. The main goal is to clear your mind without literary structure or the need to implement plots. It’s actually:

An inner journey to remember the path taken. It is not a question of reopening old wounds but of learning more about oneself with a more mature look at past events.
Better prepare for the future by defining the rules to avoid repeating these mistakes or at least identify the triggers.
To relive these positive moments to appreciate their benefits even more. Remember when you impressed your opponents by winning the game!
And to make peace with the bad moments of the past by bringing them out with all the emotions attached to give them a new perspective.

For Your Children

More intended for your children, possibly your life partners and your parents, it becomes more of a gift of sharing experiences with them. Also a way of introducing yourself to your future generations. This document will be more for:

Share your life experiences, including your successes and obstacles. To serve as inspiration on how they were overcome or conquered.
Serve to describe your past, explain your perceptions towards the world, your aspirations, and injustices or possibly abuses. It will clarify situations or your positions in the face of these events.
Create a legacy by communicating your life lessons to help your children and the next generations of your family. Leave a trace of you and your experience to accompany them.
Who knows, start a new family tradition for your descendants.

For Your Entourage

Including your family, it might also be for your extended family, friends, acquaintances and co-workers. Without being a published work to the general public, your book might be read by those who know you. However, it should have a more literary structure to maintain the interest of your readers. Just like for the direct family, your story will also have to:

Explain that this is your perception of the events. Whether right or wrong, that’s how you perceived things at the time and what possibly haunted you for years.
Consider people before exposing them to secrets to avoid conflicts or negative legal consequences, especially in the family. It’s safer to talk to them about the project first to get their approval if they are alive. Otherwise, you might need to do some renaming or a way to hide the identity.
Allow you to clarify stories and resolve past wounds, but always according to your perception of things.

Available In All Good Bookstores

If your journey, experiences, and how you overcame obstacles or reached heights can inspire many, then publish it! In this case, it is primarily strangers who will meet you, in your intimacy, in your book. This blog is not intended for this type of biography because:

The approach of this story is more complex, more novelist taking into account the establishment of intrigues, writing technique and composition to maintain the interest of your readers.
You will have to be more careful to avoid publicly exposing people and events that may generate negative legal consequences against you or your loved ones. It’s important to consider everything BEFORE publication and ideally obtain their consent. Legal consultation might be a thing to consider too. Otherwise, nothing prevents you from changing the names, descriptions or places. It will be a “base on a true story” book.
In addition, if you add photos or documents to your biography, it would be good to validate the need to obtain permission to publish them. Your facts must be truthful.

Ultimately, the purpose of any biography is not to attack or expose people but to tell about adversity and how you overcame it. It is more to inspire people to do so. The goal is not to victimize yourself but to present your growth or resilience towards the contractions of life.